Mercury Falling: 1996/97

Surprised to Sting-along!

A great gig and what a great bloke. The first bit was expected. The second a surprise.

When Sting, the pseudo-intellectual pop star emerged following the break up of the Police, it rubbed the punters up the wrong way. Nonetheless, his well-crafted records were still shifting spectacularly, despite heavy handed political overtones.

The general impression, however, was that here was a smarty-pants and no-one much likes them, do they? 

Sting circa '96 at the Nynex, on the other hand, came across as a thoroughly down-to-earth sort.

We heard him speak in his native Geordie and he even invited three fans onto the stage for a sing-along.

It all went well. Almost too well, in fact. One smothered her hero with kisses and hugs and threatened to throw the whole show into chaos. But it all ended with much laughter, handled consummately by Sting, the man of the people, despite earlier saying that this was the bit of the show that he both dreaded and looked forward to.

Sting, the man, more than came up to scratch, exploding a few myths along with way. But it was the pop star we had all come to listen to and watch. Here, too, we were not disappointed.

To the obvious delight of his fans, a medley of Police hits were delivered with an energy that belied their age. 'Roxanne', 'Every Breath You Take', 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic' and 'Synchronicity' were all performed, gladly, with a minimum of elaboration. They were just as you remembered them.

For me, the highlights were 'You Still Touch Me', 'If You Love Somebody Set Them Free', and Englishman In New York'. The biggest disappointment was that there was no rendition of the beautiful 'Fortress Around Your Heart'.

It will be no surprise to learn that the musicians Sting has gathered about him are staggeringly competent and in the case of his trombonist and sax player, amazingly energetic as well.

Sting's voice seemed to be on top form, too, despite a professed cold.

(c) Manchester Metro News by John Scheerhout

Sting Nynex Arena, Manchester...

Liz from Liverpool was quite evidently "made up" by the experience. She was summoned from the audience to sing a song with her hero, and seized the chance to hug him over and over, while hubby's camera clicked away frantically.

A common enough event at a Barry Manilow concert. But was this really the Prince of Pop Pretentiousness doing the old punters' singalong routine?

In truth, many people have had Sting wrong for too long.

The standard line is that he is the tree-hugging sexual superman with the self-satisfied smile which says he has had his cake, eaten it and snaffled yours too. The facts are that he was central to some of the best pop music made between the mid-seventies and mid-eighties.

And since then, he has produced some very finely-crafted solo material, despite getting up people's noses by re-introducing intellectualism to rock.

Last time Sting passed this way, some years ago, he still seemed to be struggling from under the shadow of his Police fame, the crowd tolerating his solo stuff, but really hankering for 'Roxanne'.

With his latest, and best, solo album, 'Mercury Falling', he has laid that ghost to rest.

The Police numbers were mere seasoning to the set this time - a sturdy 'Synchronicity', a seamless 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic', the still-majestic 'Every Breath You Take', and yes, of course, 'Roxanne'.

Amazingly though, the highlights were from his solo albums. New song 'Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot' is shaping up alongside 'If I Ever Lose My Faith In You' and 'If You Love Somebody Set Them Free' as Sting's best, if somewhat wordy, anthems.

'I Was Brought To My Senses' is a lovely piece which has the kind of subtle arrangement that Paul Simon would employ, and 'You Still Touch Me' worked as a rough approximation of an old Stax soul record.

Sting sung his heart out despite a heavy cold, and thumbed manfully at his old bass guitar, supported by a stellar bunch of musicians. He made it all seem so easy and perhaps that's the real reason so many people don't like him. 

(c) Manchester Evening News by Paul Taylor